Contents

Summary

Did you know?

The species was named after Jean-Louis Berlandier, an early nineteenth century French botanist who made many plant collections from northern Mexico and Texas (Wikipedia contributors). It was named after him in 1840 by Alfred Moquin-Tandon, another French botanist of the same time period.

State Ranking Justification

There are four existing populations that are restricted to the small area of Fishers Island in Long Island Sound but the number of plants is presently unknown. There are 19 additional collections from the New York City and Long Island area known from the late 1800s and early 1900s that have not been resurveyed. Those from western Long Island and around New York City are probably extirpated.

Short-term Trends

Short-term trend is unknown because the populations found in 1990 have not been resurveyed.

Long-term Trends

Even though many old records have not been rechecked those from the Western Long Island and New York City areas are probably extirpated.

Conservation and Management

Threats

Existing populations are not protected and may be under threat by users of the site. It is unknown if these saltmarshes are threatened by Phragmites.

Conservation Strategies and Management Practices

Control Phragmites invasions in the salt marshes where it exists and prevent new incursions. Natural buffers should be established around the salt marshes to decrease pollution runoff and other direct human disturbances.

Research Needs

Research is needed to compare the habitat characteristics of existing populations to the habitat of old records to see if similar conditions exist where plants could be found. We would like to know if plants are primarily found in natural conditions or in weedy areas.

Habitat

Habitat

In New York Large Calyx Goosefoot has been most often found on rocky ocean beaches, and occasionally on adjacent pond shores, salt marshes and shrub thickets (New York Natural Heritage Program 2010). Coastal sands, beaches (FNA 2003).

Associated Ecological Communities

Range

New York State Distribution

The species was historically found in all counties on Long Island, Staten Island, and north to the Bronx. It is currently known only on Fishers Island in Suffolk County.

Global Distribution

This herb is most common in eastern states from South Carolina north to New York and Massachusetts. There are disjunct populations in Indiana and Nova Scotia while it is considered exotic in New Brunswick.

Best Places to See

Fire Island Beaches (Suffolk County)

Identification Comments

General Description

Large Calyx Goosefoot is an annual, erect herb usually less than 50 cm tall. The leaves are lance-shaped and 1 to 6 cm long, the lower halves with a few teeth or lobes. The infloresence is an erect spike with leafy bracts and many small greenish (turning reddish) flowers. The seeds are 1.3 to1.9 mm in diameter, brown or black, and with pitted surfaces.

Best Life Stage for Proper Identification

Specimens with fruit are best for identification.

Similar Species

Chenopodium album is similar to C. berlandieri, but it seeds have a smooth surface and are not pitted/roughened like that of C. berlandieri. Two other varieties of C. berlandieri are found in New York; the more widespread and common C. berlandieri var. bushianum differs by having a drooping infloresence, and the rare (and not known from New York beaches) C. berlandieri boscianum has pericarps with a light yellow area around the style and seeds 1 to 1.3 mm in diameter (C. berlandieri var. macrocalycium has black pericarps and seeds 1.3 to 1.9 mm) (FNA 2003, Gleason and Cronquist 1991).

Best Time to See

Large Calyx Goosefoot flowers in July and August and the fruits, needed for identification, mature in September.

Flowering

Fruiting

The time of year you would expect to find Large Calyx Goosefoot flowering and fruiting in New York.

Gleason, Henry A. and A. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York. 910 pp.

Holmgren, Noel. 1998. The Illustrated Companion to Gleason and Cronquist's Manual. Illustrations of the Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York.

Mitchell, Richard S. and Gordon C. Tucker. 1997. Revised Checklist of New York State Plants. Contributions to a Flora of New York State. Checklist IV. Bulletin No. 490. New York State Museum. Albany, NY. 400 pp.

New York Natural Heritage Program. 2010. Biotics database. New York Natural Heritage Program. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Albany, NY.

New York Natural Heritage Program. 2019. New York Natural Heritage Program Databases. Albany, NY.